


Lift me up

by Marishna



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alpha Laura Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Meddling Laura Hale, Meet-Cute, Omega Stiles Stilinski, POV Derek, Panic Attacks, The Hale Fire, Trapped In Elevator, True Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8866555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marishna/pseuds/Marishna
Summary: Derek grudgingly met the eyes of the other man as the elevator doors slowly slid closed. He wasn’t prepared for how open and earnest his honey amber eyes were and Derek felt something stretch and tug inside of him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ShippersList](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippersList) here and on tumblr as part of the EternalSterek Secret Santa exchange. I poked around SL's tumblr and found they like a/b/o dynamics and then I found a prompt on meet cute prompts on tumblr that I turned into something. 
> 
> I hope this works for you and have a wonderful holiday!

“Hold the elevator, please!”

Derek’s hand shot out as a reflex and he stopped the doors from closing on whoever was rushing to catch it. It wasn’t until the person slipped inside that Derek desperately wished he’d let it go.

“Thanks, man.”

Derek grudgingly met the eyes of the other man as the elevator doors slowly slid closed. He wasn’t prepared for how open and earnest his honey amber eyes were and Derek felt something stretch and tug inside of him. 

His co-rider was new to their apartment building and moved in down the hall from him. Derek didn’t pay much attention at first but then he started picking up the scent of an omega, one who didn’t take suppressants. 

Most omega werewolves did because there weren’t as many of them in their species and their pheromones often caused havoc around alphas and, occasionally, betas. Taking suppressants allowed the omegas to live a regular life without being fawned over and potentially stalked by any number of werewolves without control over their instincts.

Derek stayed out of all of it. His past was littered with bad romantic decisions and that was putting it mildly. His sister, also an alpha, kept pushing him to “get back out there” but Derek was fine on his own. He had access to all the porn and toys he needed, he had friends when he wanted social interaction, and he had family to focus his attention on. 

He was fine.

“You’re Derek, right?”

Derek looked over at his neighbor sharply, suddenly realizing he’d been lost in thought while the elevator started its crawl up to their shared tenth floor. The lift had always been on the slow side but at that moment it felt glacial.

“Yes,” he replied tersely without making an effort to be drawn into a conversation. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.

“I’m Stiles.” The guy, _Stiles_ stuck his hand out to Derek as if that was a normal thing omegas did all the time. 

In Derek’s experience even once they were on their suppressants omegas tried to avoid touching other werewolves except for their friends, family and chosen romantic interests. The days of “true mates” had fallen by the wayside since the progression of modern medicine and as far as Derek was concerned the concept was invented by werewolves in positions of authority to cover up forcible acts against omegas. 

Stiles obviously picked up on Derek’s line of thinking and quickly dropped his hand. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Derek frowned at the dejection in Stiles’ tone. He grit his teeth against the words that were itching to be said but he couldn’t stop it. “What kind of name is Stiles?”

For a split second he worried he said something offensive but Stiles laughed, an open unfiltered sound bubbling out of him and filling the small space they were in. Derek wasn’t sure if he could remember ever laughing like that in his life.

“It’s a family name,” Stiles told him. “My last name’s Stilinski and my grandfather was nicknamed Stiles in the war. It’s better than my real name.”

“Which is?” Derek asked, despite himself.

“Oh, no,” Stiles shot back while wagging his finger. “Only three living people know my real name. I’m not that easy.”

Derek felt the tug inside again at Stiles’ turn of phrase but shoved it down. “Why did you say living?”

Stiles blinked and Derek could feel a quiet sadness settle over him. Stiles nodded and explained, “Yeah. My mom obviously knew my name, she picked it. But, uh. She passed away a few years ago.”

Derek felt his wolf stir, interest piqued by the common connection since Derek also lost most of his family in a fire caused by one of those bad romantic decisions. The memory reminded Derek why he didn’t want to strike up a conversation, let alone a friendship or any other relationship with Stiles.

Derek checked the numbers above the elevator door and saw they were only on the fourth floor. “Go faster,” he muttered. He felt Stiles stiffen next to him and knew he sounded like a dick.

“I’m not good at … people,” Derek said lamely. 

“That’s what your sister told me,” Stiles replied casually. Derek looked at him sharply.

“You know Laura?” 

Stiles shrugged. “Not really. I met her in the lobby one day when she was leaving after visiting you. She’s nice.”

“She meddles,” Derek retorted as annoyance at both his sister and Stiles started to grow.

“She loves you.”

“She’s my sister.”

“Oh, please. You and I both know blood doesn’t mean--”

Derek cut him off harshly, stopping short of growling. “You don’t know me so no, I don’t know. My sister shouldn’t have said anything about me to you.”

Stiles nodded and then dropped his eyes and Derek could feel him shut down. Derek felt his wolf driving up his anxiety as it scratched at his psyche and whined for him to fix whatever he just broke with Stiles. He took a quiet deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself but it didn’t work. He was officially keyed up and on edge. 

The elevator ground to a squealing halt and Derek thought their awkward ride was done but no. The doors didn’t open. Derek glanced up and saw they were only on the seventh floor. He spared a glance at Stiles who was still looking at the floor.

Derek pushed the button for the tenth floor again but nothing happened. He tried hitting the emergency stop button as if it would magically make the elevator start moving again but again, nothing. Derek could feel his breathing start to get shallow and he ran his hands over the door, trying to find a hold for his fingers to pull at and maybe wrench the door open. He could feel his claws slipping through his skin as he panicked and started to lose control.

“Derek?” Stiles said softly. Derek could feel Stiles closer to him than he was before but didn’t turn around. He kept trying to find a way out. He could pull the door open and they’d get out and walk up to their apartments and never see each other again. Derek would make sure he took the stairs going forward. Hell, he’d move out of the building. He liked his apartment and had lived there for five years but it was okay.

He didn’t realize he was scratching at the elevator door and leaving marks on it until Stiles tugged on his coat to pull him back. He looked down at his hands and tried to will his claws away but it didn’t work.

“I can’t be in here,” Derek mumbled, closing his eyes against visions of his family trapped in the basement of their home as everything burned around them. The next thing he knew he was sitting on the floor of the elevator and Stiles was kneeling beside him with a worried expression on his face.

“Derek, it’s going to be okay. I promise,” Stiles was saying but Derek was too far gone into a panic attack to notice. Derek started shaking his head and tried to get up but Stiles moved to trap his legs and reached out with both hands to cup his face. Stiles shook Derek a bit to get him to look at him and focus.

As soon as Stiles’ hands were on his skin Derek felt a blessed calm fall over him and he could breathe again. Stiles’ skin was cool to his burning cheeks, his eyes calming as they stared into Derek’s own unwaveringly, and his scent was familiar and comforting. Derek felt his heart skip but not out of fear or surprise; it was as if it were adjusting itself to a new beat.

“Holy shit,” Stiles whispered and all Derek could do was nod back.

Neither of them moved. No, actually Stiles loosened his grasp on Derek’s head and slid them to the back of his head, right above the nape of his neck and it felt so _right_. It was a relief Derek didn’t even know he was seeking. 

But a nagging thought in the back of Derek’s mind worked its way to his mouth and came tumbling out. “This isn’t real, it can’t be.”

Stiles furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why not?”

“You’re not on suppressants, it’s just a reaction,” Derek explained, clinging to the last hanging shred of his barriers in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

Stiles made a face. “I _am_ on suppressants, Derek. Have been since I was sixteen.”

Derek raised an eyebrow and sniffed delicately, purposely taking in the scent that had been plaguing him since Stiles moved in. “Sure they’re not sugar pills?”

“Derek,” Stiles said patiently. “I’ve been on a heavier dose than normally taken by other omegas because the regular dose interfered with the ADHD pills I had to take growing up. If anything most werewolves don’t even register me as one of their own.”

Derek could hear the truth in Stiles’ words and it’s not like he had a reason to lie. Derek opened his mouth but the emergency phone in the hidden panel under the buttons started ringing. Stiles pushed away from Derek to grab it but Derek’s hand shot out and grabbed Stiles’ closest one to keep their connection. Stiles gave him a half smile and laced their fingers together while fumbling for the phone with the other. 

“Hello?” Stiles held the phone away from his ear as a courtesy to Derek enough though he was able to hear everything anyway.

_This is the building management service, we see there’s been a disruption in our service. Is everyone on the elevator okay?_

Stiles looked at Derek, quirking an eyebrow to silently ask how Derek was doing and Derek nodded. “We’re fine, there are two of us in here.”

_It’ll be about an hour or so to get you out, we have to call in a tech. Will you be okay until then?_

Stiles looked down at his fingers intertwined with Derek and smiled at him when Derek squeezed his hand. “Yeah, I think we’ll be able to figure things out.”


End file.
